When to retire is a decision everyone faces eventually.
There’s no right or wrong answer as to when the time is right, and it obviously depends on everyone’s own personal situation. Health and wealth to get through the retirement years are primary concerns, but it certainly goes far beyond that to making sure there are ways to keep busy with hobbies, spending time with family, volunteering in the community and other things.
For long-serving Nanaimo-North Cowichan MLA Doug Routley, he just knew it was time after serving constituents for five terms and he’ll bow out next year with age becoming a factor for him and an ongoing health situation.
In politics, like the Olympics, although age and physical conditioning are considerably different, the thought process is the same. You have to look four years ahead on your timetable and figure out if it works for you.
Athletes reach a certain age and suddenly decide they don’t want to train another four years so they get on with whatever other plans they have formulated in their lives.
Same for the politicians. It’s not as if you can go year-to-year and then make a decision. It must be made in four-year blocks due to the time between each election.
For Routley, he just couldn’t justify possibly sticking around another four years until he’d be 67 in 2028.
Now that he’s made the decision to retire at the end of the current term, Routley can start planning for what lies ahead after October next year.
Some have a difficult time with retirement, especially those with busy professional lives who suddenly find themselves with actually too much time on their hands and possibly unsure what to do with it. Others thrive, wishing they’d retired long ago once they get into the new routine.
Politicians often receive a bad rap, but Routley has always been one of the good guys. He never needed to be obnoxious to prove a point, like some, but quietly went about the business of representing the people of the riding in the best possible way.
It’s best to be remembered that way than the alternative.